Radiology Salary

The radiology salary in the United States of America varies greatly depending on the profession you have in this field of activity, as there are several positions available, from that of radiology technician to the position of radiology physician. As a physician radiologist, the median early salary is somewhere around $360,000 a year, as the lowest 10 percent of the radiology professionals make little over $270,000, and the highest 10 percent make as much as $486,000 a year, depending on their work environment and opportunities. The salary increases with the years of experience and, in some cases, some radiology professionals can even make up to $60,000 a year.

Pay Scale In Different Parts Of The United States of America

The highest paying states for radiology professionals are certainly the states of California, New York and Texas. In Texas, these professionals get a median yearly wage of around $310,000, while in California they make as much as $355,000 a year and in the state of New York they make around $454,000. At the opposite end, there are the states of Georgia, Alabama and Nevada, where radiology professionals make little over $200,000 a year, which is under the national average for these specialists.

Radiology Job Description

Nowadays, radiologists work in various outpatient diagnostic clinics and state owned hospitals, in spite of the fact that in some cases they work in inpatient settings as well. The radiologists’ contact with the patient is somewhat limited, given the fact that these specialists spend their time analyzing the images provided by the imaging devices and then providing a diagnosis. These professionals can work irregular shifts when needed, and they often have to work during the weekends as well.

Simply put, radiologists are medical doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating different conditions, with the help of advanced medical equipment. These professionals use different medical imaging technologies such as X-ray machines, ultrasound machines, nuclear medicine scans, computed tomography machines as well as magnetic resonance imaging devices, to create images of the patients’ internal organs and then place a diagnosis.

Most of the radiologists nowadays choose to work in hospitals where they perform non-invasive procedures in order to have a look at the organs, tissues, bones as well as blood vessels of the patients. Given the fact that radiologists often come in contact with dangerous radioactive material embedded in the medical imaging equipment, it is extremely important for them to be well-aware of all the necessary safety precautions that need to be taken. Radiology professionals can choose to specialize in one of the numerous fields of radiology, from cardiovascular and neuroradiology to angiography and pediatric radiology.

Programs:

If you have decided that the radiology field is the most appealing and suitable medical field for you, then you should know that the first step is getting your Bachelor’s Degree. If you have decided to pursue a career as a radiologist while you were still in high school, then it is highly recommended to do some volunteering work that will certainly add to your medical school application, and to study physics, humanities, organic and inorganic chemistry in-depth. After finishing your undergraduate studies, you can apply to a med school and during the last years of med school training, you should enroll in a four-year diagnostic radiology residency through NRMP, or the National Resident Matching Program.

Once you have finished your residency training, you need to consider a fellowship that can take anywhere between 1 and three years of clinical training, depending on the chosen subfield of radiology. The more complex ones usually take up to 36 months to complete, but the payscale is more rewarding as well.

Licensing And Certification

Licensure is mandatory in order for you work legally as a radiologist or a radiology technician in any of the 50 states of the United States of America. It is important to hold the board certification, and in order to get it you will need to pass a two-part exam that covers physics, anatomy, medicine as well as different modalities. If you turn out to be trained and experienced enough, you will be granted the certification that will boost your employment options.

Radiology Salary In Canada, Australia And The United Kingdom

The median yearly salary of a radiologist in Canada is of around C$90,000 a year, while a radiologist who works in Australia should expect to be paid around Au$73,000 a year. A radiologist who works in the United Kingdom can get a median yearly salary of up to 68,000 pounds a year.

Verdict On Radiology Salary

To summarize, the radiology salary is directly proportional to the work volume and the responsibilities and risks of this medical position.